KENTS HILL — Peter Prescott is not afraid to do the little things to win.
A senior on the Maranacook/Winthrop c-op boys hockey team, Prescott — according to Hawks coach Chip Jones — is the kind of player willing to get results, even when the process is not the prettiest.
“He’s a leader on and off the ice but he’s really one of those kids that backs up a lot of what he talks,” Jones said. “He kind of reminds me of a (Boston Bruin) Milan Lucic. It doesn’t always look pretty but he always gets the job done.”
Prescott provided one of those grind-it-out style goals for the Hawks (1-1) in their 4-3 win over Hampden on Saturday. After the Lumberjacks turned the puck over in front of their own net with 17 seconds remaining, Prescott was in the right place to put the puck in the back of the net for the game-winner.
“Pete scored two goals that game and both in the same fashion,” Jones said. “Pete’s a very strong presence in front of the net. He’s very hard to move, he always seems to be on the rebound side of the puck, he works hard to be there and he’s always there for us.”
The result was certainly an encouraging one for the Hawks, particularly after a disappointing 4-2 loss to Gardiner earlier in the week.
“We’re on the upslope right now. We had a rough first game against Gardiner and we struggled putting a lot of things together,” Jones said. “I think it was kind of a focus wake up call because everything was there, they just weren’t executing correctly. Then a few days later we played Hampden on Saturday and played 100 percent better.”
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Gardiner Area High School coach Jeff Ross did not think the young Tigers were destined for a rough season, but even he has been surprised by the growth of his team in the early part of the season.
“One of the things that we’ve noticed is that the compete level is there for such a young team. They’re willing to get after it, they’re willing to work and we’re noticing that in practice as well,” Ross said. “They’re pretty much on the right page as well right now and they were excited about the win on Wednesday, but they came to work on Thursday. That was good to see.
“They didn’t think that they were going to have the day off on Thursday and just kind of coast from there. They were ready to get back to work and I think that was a big thing. Compete level is hard to teach and I think they’re showing as a young group that they have that.”
That compete level has been exemplified by a pair of freshmen in defenseman Alic Shorey and forward Cam Bigelow.
After seeing both play during the summer league, Ross was not sure how ready they were to make an impact this season, yet it has become clear that the two freshmen can hack it at the varsity level.
“Those are two kids that really kind of flew under the radar for us that have been really happy surprises for us, that’s for sure,” Ross said. “That’s the general consensus for the whole team, they tend to work hard, they take feedback really well and we’re moving forward.
“I know we lost the first game but we definitely surprised ourselves with our compete level, with our abilities to do things and, to be honest with you, our ability to make adjustments within the game.”
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While the rest of the state has hit the ice, the Cony/Monmouth co-op is still waiting to find out just where it stands.
Due to weather and a scheduling overlap, the Rams have yet to play a game this season and are chomping at the bit for Wednesday’s season opener against Edward Little.
“We’re ready to go,” Rams coach Chad Foye said. “The team is pretty much ready to get focused and get playing games.
“They’re a little tired of practicing but you have to have the attitude that you can control what you can control. There were a bunch of things beyond our control that we can’t worry about and we have to focus on what’s going to make us a better team.”
Cam Wilson and Spencer Buck have stood out in practice thus far for Cony/Monmouth, while Tommy Small figures to be one of the better goalies in the state. The big thing, however, will be playing Wednesday’s game to allow the coaching staff a baseline to gauge where the Rams stand right now as a team.
“We’ve got to get in games because that kind of gives you that evaluation tool as to how fast you have to be and how quick you have to make decisions,” Foye said. “You just can’t duplicate the intensity. You’re trying to duplicate the intensity in practice but it’s just very difficult.”
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Saturday’s 7:40 p.m. rivalry contest between Cony/Monmouth and Gardiner at the Bank of Maine Ice Vault will have some added meaning, as it will also be for a good cause.
During the game representatives will be collecting donations for the Travis Mills Foundation, which benefits wounded and injured veterans and their families.
A resident of Manchester, Mills lost portions of both his arms and legs from an improvised explosive device while serving in Afghanistan.
Evan Crawley — 621-5640
ecrawley@mainetoday.com
Twitter: @Evan_Crawley
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